In the field of restaurant service, waitstaff are called upon to perform a multitude of functions. Among these duties are the carrying of platters of food, often quite hot and requiring extra care for safety of the waitperson and restaurant patrons. Additionally, in fine dining establishments, waitstaff are also called upon to open and pour wine where spilling wine can have several negative consequences. Other duties may require waitstaff to regularly use napkins solely or in combination with other means to effectively perform their duties.
Perhaps one of the most common uses of the napkin by waitstaff is their use of a napkin in conjunction with carrying and serving hot plates. Traditional napkins only provide limited utility in this application for a variety of reasons: the napkins typically may have a slippery surface; depending on the thickness of the napkin, only a limited barrier to potentially extreme heat is provided to the server; and the traditional napkin is generally of a size which can become awkward if the napkin unfolds during use, making the transport of a hot platter somewhat awkward.
Some traditional napkins, depending if they are of a combination of polyester and cotton, and particularly in view of how they may be laundered, can have a quite slick surface making the balancing of a hot platter difficult. If the napkin in such an instance is folded in order to prevent an insulating barrier to the plate, it can have a tendency to slide in the folds, further making its use precarious.
What is needed is a napkin which provides an effective heat barrier in comparison to common place table or service napkins.
In the haste to expedite food to table, waitstaff often resort to grabbing the handiest napkin proximately available in order to begin serving plates to the table. Unfortunately, a variety of sizes of napkins may be available, thereby necessitating the folding of the napkin, making its use awkward.
What is needed then is a functional napkin readily available to the server, so that precious time in not lost in the often times hectic expediting of food.
Servers also are often called upon to present and serve fine wines and other beverages. In the traditional initial presentation of a bottle of wine, the wine is shown to the table, held at the bottom and at the neck, with the bottle angled slightly forward at the bottom so that the patron my read the label, confirming that the bottle ordered is the brand and vintage selected. Next, the server proceeds to cut the capsule, and remove the cork, after which a small pour for tasting is served. At this point, the propensity to spill a bit of the wine is the greatest because the wine bottle is full, and it will begin to pour with the least amount of tipping of the bottle. At this juncture, the server runs the risk of spilling wine on the tablecloth or worse, on a plate or even the patron. Servers commonly use a napkin underneath the bottle to prevent such a happenstance. Furthermore, drips form at the lip of the neck of the bottle, requiring them to be wiped off lest the drip fall, again risking staining table linen or worse, the clothing of a patron.
Unfortunately, most restaurant napkins are white, and the spill which is more or less presented results in a stain on the napkin or the table linen. It is commonly accepted that wine stains can be among the most stubborn to remove. Therefore, the number of wine-stained napkins generated during a shift in a fine dining restaurant represents a significant cost is terms of the number of napkins to be available on hand as well as laundering costs.
What is needed is a napkin which resists or hides stains and reduces the cost to the restaurant in terms of laundry and supply.
Another function in which napkins are employed in table service is in bringing silverware or flatware to the table. As previously stated, the table napkin is often used for this activity. Unfortunately, the common table napkin is usually too big to be carried in a pocket or in the apron pocket as the bulge is unsightly and the napkin size unwieldy for the mere presentation of utensils.
What is needed is a napkin which is functionally of optimum size to allow its use in a variety of activities, while at the same time, easily carried and less noticeable if even concealed.
During the course of a meal, servers in establishments where table linen is used, find it necessary to “crumb” the table with the use of a simple apparatus of a length of curved metal, used to scrape the crumbs from the cloth in order to keep the table free of debris and having a sustained look of elegance. The dilemma facing the waiter is what to do with the crumbs being raked from the table. To simply deposit them into the servers hand at the edge of the table is less than appealing not to mention contributing to the issue of sanitation. The common table napkin again is larger than needed for this application.
Yet another function of the server is to bring sauce or other accompaniments to the table for service with or on the course. When pouring sauce it is necessary to have a napkin positioned to catch any potential drips and wipe the spout of the serving dish for the sauce.
What is needed is a napkin whose size lends itself to the functions of the crumbing of a table and the serving of sauces.
Often times, dining out is associated with a celebration or other occasion which calls for the serving of chilled wines, notably champagne. In such cases, a napkin is used to wipe condensation from the bottle prior to serving, making it easier for the server to handle the bottle. The constant use of common table napkins for these types of applications again adds to the expense of supplying the napkins as well as laundering them. Further, these napkins, due to the laundering process, often have limited absorption properties for such a function.
What is needed is a multipurpose napkin, which is sized sufficient to be used to handle a variety of functions, and having sufficient absorption characteristics to effectively remove condensation from cold beverages.
Suffice it to say that a number of functions for table service are typically accomplished with the use of a common table napkin. While the choice of a table napkin is natural and easy, the size and properties of the napkin are generally only of mediocre effectiveness. What is needed is a multipurpose serving napkin, which is suited to handle the activities with effectiveness greater than a simple piece of standard size cloth.